EVALUATION OF COMPREHENSIVE MECHANISTIC MODEL OF ENTERIC FERMENTATION IN DAIRY CATTLE UNDER METHANE-INHIBITING FEED ADDITIVE SUPPLEMENTATION

The overall goal of this project is to evaluate a previously developed mechanistic model of rumen fermentation and use this model to optimize methane-inhibiting animal feed additive (AFA) use. This goal is divided into three objectives:Evaluate model predictive performance on independent datasetsSub aim 1a: Assess model predictive performance.Sub aim 1b: Compare model performance to similar models.Evaluate sensitivity of model to fitted parameter values, calibrate parameters, and quantify uncertainty in model outputsSub aim 2a: Conduct global sensitivity analysis.Sub aim 2b: Calibrate parameters.Sub aim 2c: Conduct uncertainty analysis.Optimize basal diet and AFA implementation scheme for maximum efficacy.